Brasília, Brazil – Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla has called for greater investment in rural, family, and subsistence agriculture, warning that climate change, pandemics, and other global shocks continue to threaten food security across the developing world.
Dladla is in Brazil representing His Majesty King Mswati III and the Kingdom of Eswatini at the second Brazil-Africa Dialogue on Food Security, Fight Against Hunger and Rural Development. The forum, held this week in the country’s capital, brings together African and Brazilian leaders, policymakers, and development experts to discuss ways to improve agricultural systems and tackle hunger.
Speaking on behalf of Eswatini and Africa’s delegations, Dladla pledged commitment to multilateralism and South-South cooperation. She said such collaborations must ensure that every family has access to food, shelter, and hope.
She pointed to the importance of initiatives that strengthen farmers’ resilience against economic and environmental shocks, noting that Africa’s cooperative models enrich the long-standing Brazil-Africa partnerships.
As part of her official programme, the Deputy Prime Minister toured the CONAB National Supply Company, a Brazilian government agency that maintains the country’s strategic food reserves. During the visit, she met Director João Edegar Pretto and was briefed on the agency’s operations, which include a national network of warehouses storing essential agricultural products.
Dladla said the trip provided an opportunity for Eswatini to share its agricultural progress, forge strategic partnerships, and learn from Brazil’s experience in food supply management, agricultural innovation, and trade fairness.
Before her departure, the Deputy Prime Minister said she was carrying with her the aspirations of emaSwati and His Majesty’s vision for a future where no citizen suffers from hunger.
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